1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital image processing apparatus and method, and more particularly, to a digital image processing apparatus and method in which a displayed image can be converted into other images by using a rapid sliding method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typical digital image processing apparatuses reproduce an image file stored in a storage medium and display an image generated from image data on a display unit. Digital imaging apparatuses, which are types of digital image processing apparatuses, typically image a subject in an imaging mode, store image data in a storage medium, reproduce an image file stored in the storage medium, and display an image generated from the image data on a display unit.
FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic views illustrating an operation of processing an image by a conventional digital image processing apparatus. Image files 1 and 2 are stored in a storage medium 3 of the conventional digital image processing apparatus. For example, when an image corresponding to the image file 1 is displayed on a display unit 6, information about the image corresponding to the image file 1 (hereinafter referred to as image 1′) stored in the storage medium 3 is stored in a buffer 4. When the image file 1 is a coded file, the image file 1 is decoded, and information about the image 1′ is stored in the buffer 4. Thereafter, a display interface unit 5 reads the information that is stored in the buffer 4 and displays an image on the display unit 6.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, when the image that is displayed on the display unit 6 is converted into other images so as to display an image corresponding to the image file 2 (hereinafter referred to as image 2′) on the display unit 6 when the image 1′ stored in the storage medium 3 is displayed on the display unit 6, the image 1′ is converted into the image 2′ in a sliding manner for aesthetic purposes, etc. In other words, the percentage of the image 1′ displayed on the display unit 6 is gradually decreased, and simultaneously, the percentage of the image 2′ displayed on the display unit 6 is gradually increased.
In this case, information about a synthesized image, in which a portion of the image 1′ and a portion of the image 2′ are disposed adjacent to each other, is obtained from the image file 1 and the image file 2 that are stored in the storage medium 3. The information about the synthesized image is then stored in the buffer 4, and a display interface unit 5 reads the information stored in the buffer 4 and displays the synthesized image in which a portion of the image 1′ and a portion of the image 2′ are disposed adjacent to each other on the display unit 6, as illustrated in FIG. 2. Thus, in order to smoothly convert the image 1′ displayed on the display unit 6 into the image 2′ in a sliding manner when the image 1′ is displayed on the display unit 6, operations of obtaining information about a synthesized image must be repeatedly performed. For example, when the ratio of the percentage of the image 1′ to the percentage of the image 2′ displayed on the display unit 6 is A, the operations of obtaining information from the image file 1 and the image file 2 that are stored in the storage medium 3 to produce the synthesized image with the ratio A, storing the information in the buffer 4, and displaying the synthesized image on the display unit 6 by using the information, are performed. Then, when the ratio of the percentage of the image 1′ to the percentage of the image 2′ displayed on the display unit 6 is B, the operations of obtaining information from the image file 1 and the image file 2 that are stored in the storage medium 3, storing the information in the buffer 4, and displaying the synthesized image on the display unit 6 by using the information, are performed. These operations are performed repeatedly for each different ratio of the percentage of the image 1′ to the percentage of the image 2′ displayed on the display unit 6. Thus, in the conventional digital image processing apparatus, converting a displayed image into other images in a rapid sliding manner is not easy because of the need to read and process a large amount of data. In addition, hardware with high specification requirements for reading and processing a large amount of data is needed.